The present invention relates to intra ocular lenses. In particular, the invention provides intra ocular lenses that have a refractive index gradient. Additionally, the lenses of the invention may be customized to a particular individual.
The use of intra ocular lenses to replace a patient""s natural lens is well known. Generally, the intra ocular lenses are formed by lathe cutting, molding, or the like. The lenses may be fixed within the eye, such as by haptics, which typically are attached in a secondary step. The lenses may be accommodating lenses that move along the optical axis of the eye to provide correction for distance and near vision. Known intra ocular lenses are made of rigid materials such as polymethyl methacrylate and the like or flexible materials such as silicone, hydrogels, fluorocarbons, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and the like.
Conventional intra ocular lenses are disadvantageous in that the lenses are of a single refractive index, but are used to replace the natural lens which has a gradient refractive index. Additionally, the known intra ocular lenses provide no correction for high order ocular aberrations nor are they customized to a particular individual. Therefore, a need exists for a intra ocular lenses and methods for their production that overcome these disadvantages.